Footprints Among the Ashes
by Amazing Al
Summary: Ash returns from a long time of adventuring only to find his home town of Pallet burnt down to the ground. Will he be able to find out if his mom and Professor Oak are alive or is it already too late?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own pokemon. I don't own any of the characters in this story, except Alassa. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this for fanfiction, I would be writing this for TV.

**Chapter 1**

"It is a beautiful sunny day as we find our three heroes, Ash, Misty and Brock back in Ash's home town of pallet town," said the voice of the annoying narrator that no one ever sees.

"Ooooooh, I'm so glad to be home!" yelled Ash at the top of his lungs as soon as he entered the tiny village. Then he stopped and looked around. "Wha?" he gasped.

The village had been wrecked. The buildings lay in ruins. As Ash approached he could just see smoke coming out of the buildings. Someone or something had come. But why? What did this thing have against such a small town like Pallet Town? The trio advanced slowly towards what was left of Ash's old home. The whole house was burnt to cinders.

"Oh no, my Nintendo 64! It'll be ruined!" wailed ash, dashing into the house.

"Oh brother," sighed Misty. "I think that's probably the least of his worries right now." She followed into the house, trying to convince him that he never even played the stupid thing, anyway, because of his pokemon journey.

Brock, however, remained outside. His natural detective instincts were taking over. There were footprints here. Yes. But he had never seen them before. He called Ash over to take a look.

"Ask your pokedex," Brock urged. Taking his advice, Ash flipped open the machine.

"Footprint unknown," said the electronic voice of the pokedex. "Footprint unknown."

"Footprint unknown?" asked ash uncertainly.

"Footprint unknown," confirmed Brock.

"What are we going to do?" questioned Misty, breaking the rubbish joke abruptly. "We couldn't find any survivors. And there should at least be some bodies."

They decided to follow the footprints to see where they lead to. The trail lead all around the town towards every house. All of them were destroyed. They finally stopped facing towards the sea in a Westerly direction. The trio wondered what was out there. The town map didn't cover the sea to the West. All they knew was that to the South and slightly towards the East lay Cinnabar Island.

"Well, I guess we could go West," suggested Bock.

"How? We don't have a water pokemon big enough to hold all three of us," said Ash, dolefully.

Suddenly, by an amazing coincidence that only happens in stories, they heard a cry. Misty, always the water expert, knew it straight away.

"A lapras!" she shouted. "And I'm gonna catch it."

"Oh no you're not," said a voice behind them. The three turned to come face to face with the infamous team rocket. A funky theme tune struck up in the background while the team began to sing there motto. By the time they had got to: "To denounce the evils of truth and love," Ash had already got out his Pikachu.

"Hey, hey, hey! No need to be hasty!" yelled Meowth. "We haven't done anything to you."

"Well, at least not today," said Ash, bitterly.

"No, Ash, they're right," interrupted Misty. "Let's hear them out, for once."

So Ash, Misty and Brock sat and listened while Team Rocket told them a completely made up tale of how they were in the town, just passing through, when it was burnt down and how they had escaped barely alive but their pokemon had perished in the flames.

"I didn't know pokemon could die!" exclaimed Ash.

"Well, of course they can, stupid! If you put your Pikachu in a fire, what do you expect?" snarled James, his tragic air lost.

The tale ended by the team deciding to catch another pokemon. They had seen this lapras and had lured it to the edge of the water for days with food. Today was the day they were going to catch it. Suddenly Jessie stood up, sent out Ekens and hit the lapras with a bite attack.

"Hey, that's not fair! That tale was all lies anyway. Misty was going to catch that lapras!" said Brock.

"Well tough luck, because _I'm_ going to get it," sang Jessie joyfully.

"Well, I challenge you to a pokemon battle!" replied Misty. "Whoever wins gets the lapras."

"Fine by me," Jessie shouted in return.

The two opponents squared up to each other. Misty sent out Starmie, Jessie used Ekans. Misty, although determined to win, was very rusty but Jessie had been training. Ekans seemed to dodge all of Starmie's attacks and hit it with plenty of its own. The Starmie bore the blows but they rained down heavier and heavier. Finally, Starmie was in a wrap when Misty called out, "No! STOP!" surprised, Jessie ordered Ekans to stop and Misty ran out onto the battlefield. Starmie had fainted.

"Yes, I win!" celebrated Jessie.

"For once," Ash muttered darkly.

"Now to claim my prize! Ekans, attack that lapras!" shouted Jessie, ignoring him.

Suddenly a voice called out, "If you dare lay a finger on my lapras I will grind you into pulp!"

'My lapras?' wondered Jessie in astonishment. 'Who-?'

But before she could even finish her thought, a figure came leaping out of a nearby house and jumped on Jessie.

"That is my lapras and if you don't stop trying to catch it right now, I will report you to Officer Jenny!" Brock's heart started beating a little faster at the mention of her name. "My name is Alassa and I'm going to give you thieves three seconds to clear out! 1," she began counting.

Jessie, James and Meowth ran as fast as they could before Alassa could even get to 2. "We're blasting off again!" they yelled as they scurried out of the town.

After they had gone, Alassa introduced herself again and told them that she sailed along with her lapras, finding unknown lands. She was a beautiful, tall girl with sky blue hair sticking out in childish bunches. Her eyes sparkled with the same colour as her hair. She was wearing a deep blue dress that flowed around her gracefully. Thankfully Brock seemed immune to her charm, although he did ask if she had a boyfriend. She replied that she didn't, with a slight musical laugh.

"We're looking for a way to cross the sea," explained Misty.

"Well, you've come to the right person! I know the sea like the back of my hand," she boasted. "Where do you want to go?"

"West," Ash said, decisively. "Definitely West!"

**Note:** Phew, that was longer than I expected! I know most of it is direct speech but I'm trying to keep as close to the anime as possible. My first fic! R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon aint mine, buddy. But Alassa is. Ha!

**Chapter 2**

The sea was blue. The sky was blue. Ash was blue. He simply could not understand what kind of monstrous creature would destroy his home like that. He wasn't worried about his Nintendo 64 any more, although he was careful not to let anyone think otherwise. He was worried about his Mom. If she was in the house when it was obliterated, she wouldn't have survived. But there was a glimmer of hope at the back of his mind that she might be safe. After all, they might have got warning the creature was coming by one of the Professor's devices. The Professor, Ash was worried about him too. He had been like a father to Ash. And he wasn't exactly as young as he used to be.

"Wow, the sea looks so sparkly and blue," sighed Misty, breaking Ash's train of thought.

"You just wait, Misty," Alassa replied. "Once you've been here for seven hours straight with nothing to look at but the sea and the sky, you'll think differently."

"Seven hours!" exclaimed Ash. "I am NOT sitting on this stupid Lapras for seven hours!" Everybody laughed. "What?" Ash asked.

"She didn't mean it, Ash, don't be so gullible," said Brock. "But I bet you've been on the open sea for days on end," he said to Alassa.

Alassa explained that if he went for too long on the ocean sea her lips would become sore and chapped because of the wind. She never took any lip balm because it was extremely expensive and the only way she could earn money was by taking tourists from island to island on her lapras. She never battled.

"Why not?" asked Brock, abruptly. "A pokemon battle is a basic essential to pokemon. It gives them exercise and a chance to learn new skills. Even the weakest pokemon should battle."

"Do you think my Lapras doesn't get enough exercise with lugging all those tourists around everywhere?" she laughed.

It was just after midday and the foursome were eating lunch. They could see nothing but the sun, the bright, azure water and the blissfully blue sky all around them. It was very warm, but a surprisingly dry wind blew all around them. Suddenly, they felt a jolt. Then Lapras shuddered to a halt and began sinking.

"What's going on?" yelled Misty, her cerulean eyes flashing with fear.

"I-I don't know. This has never happened before!" replied Alassa.

They were still sinking. Suddenly the Lapras sank right to the bottom of the sea. The four humans it carried swam up to the surface as fast as they could and breathed in the crisp sea air thankfully. Alassa was shaking. "Hurry, get lapras off the floor!" she shouted desperately. Brock shook his head.

"We can't lift it all on our own. You need several strong men to lift that much weight. Or a crane. And we have neither," Brock said. His calm words only seemed to make her more desperate and she ducked down beneath the waves.

Alassa knew she could lift her pokemon, even if those three babies wouldn't help her. She'd do it alone and she'd prove them wrong. A fiery passion burnt inside her as she thought about all the times Lapras had helped her out of trouble. The time when she was only seven and a Charmeleon had jumped out on her. The time when a mugger had tried to rob her of all her money. The time when her parents had died and she needed a friend. All of those times Lapras had helped her. And now it was Alassa's turn to help her pokemon. Her fury gave her extra strength and she was able to lift the Lapras right off the sea bed. She kicked as hard as she could and went straight up to the surface, gasping for air.

Misty was amazed. Lapras weighed just about 220 kilograms. That girl must have the strength of a Machamp!

"Let's get to an island," said Alassa. "There's one a little further west that has a small village. It's called Sienna Village. I've never been there before, though."

The four young people swam on until they got to Sienna Village. It was located on a small, sandy island. It looked like something out of a book. It was everything a person could want from and island in the middle of the sea; Festivities all year round, warm, surfing, sand and exotic fruits. Unfortunately they had one custom.

"No strangers?" said Brock, amazed. "Whyever not?"

"Tourists want to spend their holidays here. Some people even say that they're going to turn this island into a hotel. I'm sorry but if you don't have the relevant passes, you will have to be detained."

While Ash continued arguing with the officer and Misty tried to make Alassa stay awake, Brock took a look at Lapras. There was a puncture mark in one of its fins that oozed black blood. Perfectly normal for a pokemon, but, what was that? There was a speck of green in the inky blackness. Hmm, poison. Nothing serious though, it was just pokemon poison. Probably from a tentacool or tentacruel, by the look of it. Lapras would be alright, she had just fainted. As had her unfortunate owner. If they got them both Pokemon Centre, they would be right as rain in no time.

Brock turned around and tried to reason with the officer. It didn't work. By the time the sun had set the four of them – lapras was taken to a pokemon centre – had been relieved of their pokemon and taken into a cell.

**Note:** Hey, does anybody know how to do those apostrophe things? Like the one above the 'e' in pokemon. Please tell me, it's killing me! Hey, less direct speech, yay! Please R&R!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Oh, you know the drill! I don't own it.

**Chapter 3**

"Pikachu!" screamed Ash at the top of his lungs.

"Oh, Ash," sighed Alassa. "I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"I never should have directed you here," she explained.

"Would you rather we were still swimming for our lives in the open sea?" asked Brock kindly. "Don't worry about it, Alassa. At least we have somewhere to stay for a while. We should get some sleep. Things will be better in the morning."

Ash and Misty were reassured by Brock's kind words and fell asleep promptly but Alassa still wasn't reassured. She spent ages tossing and turning until she decided she had had enough. Removing one of the clips in her hair she began to pick the lock on the cell door. When she had finished she awoke her companions, expecting them to be very impressed. However, she never thought that Brock would order her to relock the door and go to sleep, which was exactly what happened. Suitably put out and slightly bewildered, Alassa locked the door and tried to get some rest.

In the morning Alassa was not so calm about last night's events.

"Why did you make me lock us in? That was probably the only chance we had of escaping!" Alassa woke the whole building by yelling.

Brock replied calmly, "Why do you want to escape? What is wrong with here, for the moment, Alassa?"

"We're not free! Isn't that important? Running, laughing, singing, smiling at the sun, having a free spirit! When you're free you can choose what you do, when you do it and how you do it! I need to be free to live! Everyone needs to be free to live! Don't you understand that concept? Do you know how to live? Do you?"

Brock didn't reply. Ash and Misty exchanged worried glances. There was silence in the cell. It was only broken ten minutes later by the sound of faint, tuneless whistling, echoing round and round the musty cell and growing louder and louder.

"Mornin', prisoners!" said a cheery face that appeared in the barred window in the door. The face opened the door and set down a tray with four slices of bread and a pitcher of water on the floor. Alassa shot Brock a look that said, 'See?'. The guard caught the look but misinterpreted it.

"Aww, sorry, aint that what they feed prisoners? Well, what do we feed ya, then?" asked the guard. The four looked bewildered so he went on to explain, "Well, we never 'ad any real prisoners before, so we aint 'ad no practice, 'ave we?" The four still didn't say anything so the guard left, casting bemused looks over his shoulder and whistling.

It was about 3 o'clock and still nobody had spoken. The guard's whistling came back and his face once again appeared at the door.

"Oi, yoos lot!" he boomed, "The council wants to see ya. Now come on out an' walk in front of me. Tha's right. An' don' try any funny stuff."

"Yea!" whispered Alassa to Misty.

"I don't see the bright side," Misty replied.

"Think about it. They've sent one really stupid guy to escort the four of us to the council." Alassa said, as if it was obvious.

"So?"

"So, it means that they think we aren't a threat, because we don't have our pokemon," Alassa said. "If we had them, they would have to send at least…" she paused to think. "Oh, at least eight guards to escort us."

Misty giggled. "They have seriously underestimated us!"

The girls' chat was interrupted by the guard shoving them all outside. They blinked. They had all completely forgotten that they were on a tropical island in the middle of the sea with no transport off. Their only chance would be to cooperate.

Before them lay a ring of stones with a gap right where they were standing. At the other end there was a long table draped with a floor length white cloth. Six people were sitting at the table, opposite the four prisoners. The seventh and middle chair was unoccupied. Suddenly the seventh chair moved. The four stiffened. A huge Feraligatr emerged from behind the tablecloth and sat on the chair. It motioned them forwards.

Ash, Misty, Brock and Alassa stepped forwards, into the circle of stones.

"Bow," Misty hissed. The other three obeyed and they all bowed a sweeping bow.

"Like, oh my gosh, what are you doing here?" asked the Feraligatr in an American cheerleader's voice. This startled the four because she appeared so ferocious and radiated so much power and had the girliest voice they had ever heard. She saw their looks and understood. "Oh, I like, totally understand! You think because I'm, like, a Feraligatr I'll be totally scary, right?" she giggled. "Everybody thinks that! There was this one time, yeah, when there were, like, these cute guys and-"

She was cut off by one of the people around the table saying, "Can we continue, your greatness?"

She looked flustered but said, "Ah, yes. Now, you," She pointed at Ash. "You are, like, a pokemon trainer, aren't you?"

"No," replied Ash. "I am not _like_ a pokemon trainer, I _am_ a pokemon trainer!"

"Wow! Well, you see, we have, like, this totally huge problem that just won't go away and we need a pokemon trainer to come and totally sort it out!"

"Hey, Ash, maybe they'll let us go if you help them," whispered Brock.

"Why do you want to escape, Brock? What's wrong with here?" Alassa shot at him.

He glared at her but made no reply. Ash thought for a second before saying, "I will help you sort out this problem! What is it?"

"Well, there are like, totally, these two people who keep traveling to the island, resisting our officers and demanding that we give them money else they'll, like, totally bust up our village! So we give it to them but that's only because there are, like no pokemon trainers on the island to sort them out!"

"And you want us to sort them out?" asked Ash. "What do they look like?"

"Well, there are, like, two of them and one is a boy and one is a girl. The boy is kinda cute! Oh, and they have totally weird tops with 'R' on them."

"It's Team Rocket again!" shouted Ash, Misty, Brock and Alassa in unison.

**Note:** Yay! I have reviews! I also have a rubbish spell check. Of course 'yay' is a word! Dumb thing Whacks comp I am sorry if I offended anybody with the American cheerleader thing but they were, like, totally the only words that I could think of to describe Feraligatr's voice! Oh, it is now rated K+ because of dire peril in dungeons… cackle I hate this chappie, though, because nothing very much happens! Oh, well, please R&R!


End file.
